Love Letters
by PerfectFlyer
Summary: "I wanted you…to proofread something for me." Leonard raised an eyebrow and took the letter from my hands. "Am I really the person you should be asking?" "Yes. You're the only one who knows…knows about that thing…" "Oh! Right, I know about how you have a crush on Eldore." (A sweet little short about my adorably awkward Helena, from my story The Battlefield Flower.)


**Author's Note:**

**I don't own White Knight Chronicles and all characters belong to their rightful owners.**

**This is just a cute little side story about Helena. It's not related to The Battlefield Flower at all, so feel free to read on spoiler free. ...I don't usually put Cisna with Leonard, but hey, for this idea it worked like a charm.**

I stood in front of the door to Leonard's room, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I clutched the letter in my hands tightly, so tightly that the envelope had become wrinkled. I eased my grip and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Leonard called from inside. I glanced back down the staircase that went to the shop below and thought about running back down. I shook the thought away and pushed the door open.

"Hey…Leonard…" I quietly spoke my greeting as I entered. Leonard's blue eyes fell on me.

"Oh, hello Helena." He grinned, "Did you need something?"

I nodded my head and went over to him. He had been lying on his bed playing with his orange cat, but he had sat up when I had entered. I held out the white envelope towards him.

"I wanted you…to proofread something for me."

Leonard raised an eyebrow and took the letter from my hands.

"Am I really the person you should be asking?" He opened the long since crisp envelope and pulled out the many pages I had managed to shove into it.

I nodded again in response to his question.

"Yes. You're the only one who knows…knows about that thing…"

"Oh! Right, I know about how you have a crush on Eldore," Leonard nodded as his eyes began to scan the first page.

"…don't just say it like it's nothing…" I blushed lightly and looked away from him.

"Here you read mine, while I read yours," Leonard shifted so he could pull a piece of paper from his back pocket. He held it out to me as he continued to read. I took it from him and flushed a little darker because it was a little warm.

"…You wrote a love letter too?" I asked as I read the few lines that were on the page.

"Yeah, for Cisna."

I shifted nervously, his letter had only been a few sentences long, and mine was a good five pages. Leonard motioned for me to sit down without even looking up. I hesitantly sat down on the corner of his bed.

His cat walked over to me and rubbed his head against my arm. I smiled and began to pet him.

"What's your cat's name…?"

"You mean Marmalade?"

I giggled. "You named your cat Marmalade?"

"What's wrong with that?" Leonard looked up at me. I just giggled and waved away his question. He just sighed and went back to reading. I now realized that my letter was _excessively_ long. I would have to rethink the length.

After what felt like forever, but I knew only could have been five minutes, Leonard finished reading my love letter. He returned my letter to me and I returned his.

"…well?" I asked sheepishly.

"It's a little long," He shrugged.

"It's more than a 'little'," I sighed. "It needs to be shorter."

"My letter is too short, isn't it?"

I nodded. Leonard thought for a moment before he jumped to his feet. He went over and pulled a box from a shelf on the wall.

"We'll just have to write new ones," He grinned as he placed the box on his desk. Leonard dragged his desk over to the side of the bed, creating quite the ruckus. He returned to his spot next to me.

"Now?" I eyed the box askance. He nodded.

"Why not?" Leonard removed the lid of the shallow box and pulled out papers, a few quills, and ink jars. After removing the letter writing supplies, he moved the box to the floor. I tentatively picked up a white feather quill and carefully opened a jar of ink.

Leonard prepared to write as well and we both sat there in silence.

"…We should decide on content first." I offered. Leonard nodded, "That sounds like a good idea." He turned to me, "You letter was really well thought out, but you tended to repeat yourself."

"Right…Right…I thought so…" I nodded. "I think your letter needed something more…"

"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Just writing: 'Hey, you know I'm totally in love with you.' Doesn't really cut it as a love letter." I chuckled and nodded.

"We should be writing this down," Leonard grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down a few notes. I peered over at the paper and saw that it read:

1) Don't make the letter too short!

2) Don't make the letter too long!

"Well…I think all the great love letters were only about a page or so." I told him. "That's about the length of any normal letter…so maybe that's how long it should be."

"That makes sense," Leonard grinned. "I don't see why you needed you my help."

3) Make the letter about a page, normal letter length.

"…I do need your help, Leonard…I still can't _talk_ to Eldore." I whispered. Leonard smiled at me, "You'll be able to talk to him. Don't worry about it. You just have to be yourself."

"Oh! That's another important thing. When writing the letter you should be yourself and…and you should speak from your heart."

"Right! Yeah, that would be good to do in a love letter." Leonard nodded. "I didn't even think of that."

_You're the one that said it…_ I shook my head and tried not to laugh.

4) Be yourself!

5) Write straight from your heart.

"Anything else…?" Leonard tilted his head as he tried to think of something. I sat there for a moment and then said, "…Well see what needs to be changed the more we write."

"Okay!" Leonard nodded and began to write the draft of his letter. I slowly began to write as well.

"Do you think we should start it with 'dear'?" I asked him, "Or something else?" Leonard furrowed his brow.

"Well…Don't all letters start with 'dear'?"

"…Yes."

"Then why change it?"

6) Start the letter off with 'Dear *insert name here*,'

We continued to write, even when we would talk with each other.

"Should I write about Cisna's beauty?" Leonard asked me.

"…Not too much. You can mention it, but don't base the entire letter off it. You might sound superficial."

"I'll steer clear of that then," Leonard practically winced. "I don't want her to think I'm a complete ass."

I broke into loud laughter as Leonard added that to our list.

7) Don't talk too much about looks! You might sound superficial.

The two of us wrote and talked for a while and it wasn't long before we exchanged our drafts. There was significant improvement in each of our letters.

"Do you think I should try poetry?" Leonard asked wistfully.

"…Well that depends…are you good a writing poetry?"

To answer my question Leonard recited some of the worst lines of poetry I had ever heard. The two of us were laughing hysterically by the time he was done.

"D-don't don't even try that!" I gasped through my laughter. Leonard was grinning widely as he added that to the list.

8) Don't write poetry unless you are a professional poet.

The door to Leonard's room opened and Rappaci stuck his head inside.

"I thought you left already Helena," He looked around at the mess we had made with all the discarded papers. "What have you two been doing up here all this time?"

"Nothing," Leonard chirped. I glanced at the clock on the wall and blinked in surprise.

"I hadn't realized how late it's gotten… I should be going…"

"You can stay Helena," Leonard told me. Then his stomach grumbled loudly. He chuckled, "We should probably get dinner."

"If you two are going out, bring something back for me," Rappaci commanded before leaving.

Leonard and I left Rappaci Wines and started for the market. The sun was beginning to set and it cast a warm glow on the city.

"I think the letter writing has been coming along nicely," Leonard smiled, "Don't you?"

I nodded. "Yes…I just don't know if I'll be able to _give_ him the letter."

"You'll do fine," Leonard put his hand on my shoulder. "I know you can do it. You hardly have to say anything."

"I guess you're right…" My smile was small when compared to Leonard's.

"Come on let's get dinner I'm starving!"

I chuckled quietly at his eagerness and followed him. The market was still open and in the dwindling sunlight, we searched for something to eat.

"What do you think Rappaci would want?" Leonard furrowed his brow as he searched through a bin of different types of melons.

"…I'm not sure." I shrugged. "You live with him…Shouldn't you know?" I picked up an apple and its ruby skin reflected the fading light. Leonard snorted, "Yeah, like I would know. As far as I know that guy just likes to hit me."

I laughed, "It's only out of love."

"You think?" Leonard looked up at me and shook his head. "I don't." I shrugged and turned the apple in my hands so I could study it for any bruises.

"…Then how about an apple?" I answered Leonard's original question.

"For Rappaci?" Leonard came over to me and picked up an apple from the basket. "I'll probably just get him a leg of meat or something…" Leonard spun the apple on the tip of his finger as he looked around at the rest of the food. I was sure he hadn't even realized he was doing it.

I was still looking at the spinning apple when Leonard glanced at me. He stopped spinning the apple and let it fall into his palm. I must have looked disappointed because he picked up another apple and balanced the two on his head.

I began to laugh at his antics and he grinned widely. I tried to hide my loud laughter behind my fingers. Leonard let the apples drop and he caught them in his hands.

"I'll have to show that to Cisna," He was laughing too. I nodded as I tried to tame my giggles, "You will."

We bought the apples and a few other things before starting back to the winery. We were babbling about the love letters when I happened to glance through the crowd and see a familiar face. My pulse began to race and I stopped in my tracks. Leonard almost walked pass me but quickly stopped.

"What's wrong Helena?" He looked in the direction I was staring and grinned. "I see Eldore!" Leonard put an arm around my shoulder, "Come on let's go talk to him!"

"N-no!" I had flushed a dark red. "I-I can't! My-my letter isn't finished!"

"You can still talk to him as a friend," Leonard was already steering me towards the older man. I shook my head.

"…Leonard…" I whispered. "Can't we just go back to the shop?"

"We'll only talk to him for a minute or two!" Leonard reassured me, "Then we can finish your letter and you can give it to him later."

"…Do we _have_ to…?" I bit my lip we were almost to him and I was afraid my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

"Hey Eldore!" Leonard called out him and waved his free hand. Eldore looked over at us and when his eyes fell on me, I blushed darker. I looked away from him as Leonard walked me forward.

"Hello. I didn't expect to see you two out together." He smiled as he greeted us.

"We were just getting dinner." Leonard grinned back. "Right, Helena?" I glanced at him and then at Eldore, but then my gaze fell to the bag in my hands.

"…yes…" I twisted the handles nervously. I was sure I heard Leonard huff in frustration because I wasn't saying anything.

"I should leave you two alone then," Eldore stated. "It was nice speaking with you."

"Yeah." Leonard nodded. I was still silent as Eldore walked away. Leonard dropped his arm from my shoulder and sighed loudly.

"You didn't even try to talk to him!"

"…I told you I c-couldn't!" I snapped back quietly. "…I'm shy…"

"Let's just get this love letter written so you can _finally_ speak to him again!" Leonard grabbed my hand and dragged me forward. "Back to the shop!" I sighed inwardly; Leonard was always in a hurry.

Once we got back to the shop, Leonard ran up the stairs and to his room. I gave Rappaci his dinner before following Leonard. We returned to our place on his bed and ate our dinner as we discussed the love letters.

We continued to work and before long, I felt my eyes getting heavy. Leonard managed to distract me from my tiredness. I let my eyes drift close for only a moment…

I felt the warm light of the sun on my face and shifted slightly. I gripped the sheets tightly and didn't want to move. I was too comfortable to want to move. My eyes popped open when the sheets moved underneath my hand.

I had Leonard's shirt gripped tightly in my fist. I slowly cast my gaze up to Leonard's face. I blinked my golden eyes and his blue eyes blinked right back. A heated blush filled my cheeks as I slowly uncurled my fingers.

I was too embarrassed to move. My gaze fell on Leonard's necklace and stayed there.

"…Um…Good morning I guess." Leonard's tone was light but I could tell he was just as surprised as I was.

"…good morning…" I whispered. I felt Leonard remove his arm from my waist and I swallowed hard. I slowly sat up and wished I wouldn't have had to brace my hands on his chest. My heart was beating quickly in my chest, fueling the blush on my cheeks.

Leonard propped himself up on his elbow and I glanced over to see a light blush was on his cheeks.

"I guess we fell asleep while we were working," He chuckled nervously. I nodded. I pulled my legs up away from his. I patted down my hair because I knew it would be a mess. Leonard reached over to his desk and picked up the letters.

"Hey, at least we finished before we fell asleep." He grinned and handed me my letter. I took the pink stationary from his hand and scanned the page. I was happy with it and a small smile formed on my face.

"I think these are the final drafts!" Leonard said what I was thinking. I nodded, "Yeah."

"Leonard time to get up!" Rappaci opened the door and stuck his head in. "Yo-" Rappaci stopped mid sentence as he surveyed the room. "Helena…I thought you left." I felt the blush returning to my cheeks.

"…We fell asleep while we were writing," I clarified. "I should be going now." I climbed from Leonard's bed and hurried past Rappaci. I hurried out of the shop and started home. The streets of Balandor were mostly empty; the town was just waking up. The morning sun hadn't even melted the dew from the grass yet.

I turned the corner and bumped into someone. I almost fell back onto the pavement but the person caught my hand and helped me to stay on my feet. My letter floated daintily to the stone. I blushed a dark shade of red when I realized who it was.

"Th-thanks…E-Eldore…" I whispered as I looked away from him. My heart beat skyrocketed and I could feel it pounding against my rib cage.

"Why are you in such a rush this morning Helena?" He asked as he bent down and picked up my love letter.

"I-I-um…" I breathed. I twisted my fingers nervously. Eldore held the letter out to me, "You dropped this." I looked up and met his red eyes. I flushed deeper but pushed the letter back towards him.

"…it's for you…" I whispered softly. Eldore looked at me quizzically, but before he could say anything, I slipped past him and ran into my house. When I closed the door behind me, I fell back against it. My pulse was racing and I didn't know how to slow it. I closed my eyes and slid down to the floor. I thought back to my letter…

Dear Eldore,

I think you're so wise. I've always looked up to you for that. I try to impress you with what little knowledge I have. It's a silly thing to try to do, but I still try.

There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I just can't bring myself to speak when I'm around you. My tongue gets tied and I can't seem to find any words. I'm just hopeless when it comes to things like this.

Whenever I'm around you, my heart just beats so fast. I see your smile and you make me smile too. I can hardly look into your eyes without losing my breath. Whenever I'm near you I don't think I could be any happier.

When you're not with me I feel a little lost. When I first met you, it felt like I had known you for ages. You were so easy to talk to then…now I can hardly say a word to you without these feelings drowning out my voice.

I wish I could say these words to you, Eldore instead of hiding behind this script.

I love you Eldore.

Sincerely,

Helena

A soft knock was placed on the door and I jumped to my feet. I opened the door and blushed heavily when I found Eldore standing there. My letter was open in his hands. I didn't think my heart could beat any faster.

I immediately began to twist the end of my tunic in my hands out of nervousness. I stared at the ground. I wasn't sure what I was going to hear, but I thought it was going to be the worst rejection that had ever happened to anyone.

Eldore cupped my chin with his fingertips and gently tilted my head up. I looked up at him, my eyes wide. A smile was on his features and his ruby eyes glittered. A smile slowly worked its way onto my face.

He leaned down and placed a hesitant kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and kissed him back. After a moment, our first kiss ended and Eldore pulled away. He stayed close to me and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you Helena."

I felt tears bubble in my eyes and I smiled widely.

"I-I love you Eldore!"


End file.
